• Augmentative Language Learning

Points to Ponder in Goal Writing

Points to ponder• We need measureable

outcomes

• Most classrooms set up teacher instructing, students responding

• Answering questions is the focus of language instruction natural process of language learning disrupted.

• Need to measurePragmatic Use not quantity

• Need to follow child’s lead

• Child needs to be an active participant questions make them passive learners

Problems• Being too narrow in writing the measurable

outcome of a goal that states what a child must say and how often he must say it, can lead to inappropriate instruction and decreased opportunities for learning.

• We need to insure that we don’t mix content and communication in the same goal. ( example of wrong goal “ During snack Johnny will request a drink 4 out of 5 times.” “ During a reading activity Johnny will respond to a who question with 80% accuracy.”

How we should write goals• Incorporate flexibility for the child to say what

they want to say when they want to say it• Increases the appropriateness of language use,

not just quantity.• Increase the ability of the child to communicate a

broad range of communicative functions to express real ideas in real situations.

• Progress for communication development is more appropriately observed in natural contexts

Language Sample• You can do language sample within natural

contexts• Can be evaluated in a variety of ways– Level of initiation vs. responding– Variety and type of communicative functions– Length and complexity of utterance– Conversational turn taking and pragmatic skills

• It may take a longer time to sample for emergent aided communicators

Sample goals• Within natural contexts, Johnny will initiate use of the

communication system by one of the following methods ( state what is appropriate for child) and attempt to communicate something.( Measurement is increase in frequency over baseline).

• Within natural contexts throughout the day Johnny will use an increasing number of communicative functions or intents expressively with his communication system.

• Within natural contexts Johnny will use an increasing amount of vocabulary to express intents as measured through a language sample

Sample goals Rubric